Tear of a Deer
by trishathetrashywriter
Summary: After Bambi and Faline get separated in the fire, Faline thinks Bambi is dead.
1. Chapter 1

Faline waited for hours, watching to make sure that Bambi would return safely. But he never did. A tear rolled down her cheek.

"He's never coming back, is he?" she said, giving The Great Prince puppy dog eyes.

The Great Prince remained silent but had a sad look on his face.

Faline walked away, her head down.

Then all the animals closed their eyes and bowed their heads.


	2. Chapter 2

Bambi slept. He was exhausted. He was dreaming of the day he met Faline.

He looked at himself in a tiny pond, then a beautiful fawn caught his attention.

He looked at her, then back at her reflection, then her, back and forth, back and forth, and she couldn't help but giggle.

She was like an angel sent from the heavens— so mysterious and so sweet at the same time. Aside from giggling, she hardly ever said anything, and she thought Bambi was the most adorable thing she ever laid eyes on. She also thought his shyness made him all the more endearing.

He backed away, but she just kept going after him.

Then she started chasing him until they ran into their mothers.

He ran and hid behind his mother's front legs.

Faline got into a playful stance.

"That's little Faline," said his mother.

Faline wiggled her tail.

"He's kind of bashful, isn't he, Mama?" said Faline.

"Well, maybe he wouldn't be if you'd say hello," said her mother.

Faline walked over to him.

"Hello, Bambi!" she said.

This only made Bambi more shy. He went and hid behind his mother's legs.

Faline was hurt.

"I said hello," said Faline.

"Well, aren't you going to answer her?" said Bambi's mother.

Bambi's jaw dropped and he shook his head.

"You're not afraid, are you?" said his mother.

Bambi angrily shook his head.

"Well, then, go ahead!" she said giving him a nudge from behind.

Why did she have to embarrass him in front of his love?

She nudged him again.

Faline was smiling and wiggling her tail.

Not knowing what to do, Bambi looked to his mother.

"Go on. Say hello," she said.

Bambi closed his eyes then faced Faline.

"Hello," said Bambi.

Faline was ecstatic.

Then she chased him into a puddle hidden by tall grass.

She poked her head in, but Bambi didn't notice. When he saw her she pulled it out.

Typical woman. Playing hard to get.

He followed the mysterious doe's giggles, then she poked her head in again.

She did it again.

Bambi was getting annoyed.

She poked her head in again and this time, kissed him on the cheek.

She pulled her head back out and Bambi wiped his cheek.

She poked her head in again, but this time made the mistake of giggling, giving away her location.

She gasped and Bambi woke up.

Oh, how he missed her!

Bambi sadly got up.

He looked around. Where was he?

He didn't know which way to go.

He looked at the sun.

He was facing north.

The question was, which way to go?

He sure hoped that Faline knew he was alive and well.

"Faline!" he yelled. It echoed.

No answer.

"Thumper!" he yelled.

He sighed.

He had tried to make it back to Faline, but he must have went the wrong way.


	3. Chapter 3

Bambi went into an open area with no trees. Then, Bambi was hit in the rear end with a tranquilizer dart. He ran off in pain. When the pain went away, he looked at it in amazement. Then he tried to pull it out, but he couldn't reach. He gave up and sighed. He didn't know what it was— all he knew was that it hurt.

He saw a bird on a tree. He walked over to her.

"Excuse me, miss. Would you kindly remove this thing from my flesh? It pricks like a thorn in my rear end," said Bambi.

"Alright," said the bird.

She flew down on Bambi's rear end. She grabbed the dart and tugged at it, but it was no use. It was barbed.

"Sorry, sir. It won't come out," she said.

She flew off sadly.

Bambi was going to need to find someone stronger. Like a hawk.

He continued to walk through the forest.

"Hello?" said Bambi. "Hello? Is there anyone out there? Can anyone hear me?"

He heard a hawk.

He ran and followed the noise.

He saw a hawk on a branch with a nest on it.

"Sir!" said Bambi, catching his breath. "Sir, can you remove this thing from my rear end? Please?"

The hawk flew down and tried to pull it out.

He caught his breath.

"Goodness, whatever it is, it's really stuck," said the hawk. "I'm afraid you're going to have to spend the rest of your life with that thing in your flesh."

He flew away.

"No! Wait! Come back!" said Bambi.


	4. Chapter 4

This reminded Bambi an awful lot of the time he got attacked by a grumpy porcupine.

As he walked through the forest, he had flashbacks of his fawnhood.

He remembered how he lost his mother. It took a few seconds for it to sink in. His father simply said "Your mother can't be with you anymore." and gave him a fright, coming out of nowhere like that. He wasn't sure how he knew, but in that moment he realized that his mother was lifeless now. He had seen dead animals before, but he would always assume that they were just in a hibernation where one ceases to breathe. He had seen dead plants, too. But plants simply lost their life— animals lost their life and their sentience. That was the first time he really understood death. A tear rolled down his cheek and his father took him in. He was led to a den. He woke up expecting it to be spring, but no. It was Groundhog Day, so it was going to be spring soon... that is, if the groundhog saw his shadow.

Faline came out of nowhere and scared him again. Faline had changed. Maybe not on the outside, but her personality was different. She was no longer the pure, innocent, angelic fawn he met in the fall. She had a sarcastic streak and was very independent. Bambi had changed too. He was a lot more talkative.

On that same day, they met a fawn named Ronno. Ronno was selfish, cowardly, and a bully. He also had a crush on Faline. He wanted to befriend them, but they were afraid of him.

On that day Bambi got pricked by a porcupine, Ronno went too far. He used his antler buds to threaten Faline away from Bambi. This was crossing the line. Bambi stood up for her, only to be put down by Ronno.

Then Thumper pushed Bambi's legs and made it look like Bambi shoved Ronno into the mud.

Then, the chase started, and Bambi finally made the jump, impressing his father.

A few days later, the two fawns got into a fight.

They were interrupted by his stepmother, then Ronno charged at him again and he got out of his way, causing him to charge into his stepmother and she got caught in a man made trap. Ronno got off of him when he saw what had happened. She struggled to break free, to no avail. Bambi froze up at the sound of the dogs running toward him. She told the two fawns to get out of there now.

Ronno ran off yelling for his mother like the coward he was at heart.

"Bambi, run!" said Bambi's stepmother.

"Man! Man! Man!" cawed a flock of crows above him.

He remained petrified.

She continued trying to save herself.

He ran off but then she echoed his mother's words— "Faster. Don't look back. Keep running. Keep running."

This made Bambi stop in his tracks. And then he knew what he had to do.

He ran in front of the dogs.

"Bambi!" yelled his stepmother.

And he bravely led the dogs away from his stepmother, then fought them on a mountain.

Afterwards he finally kissed Faline... by accident.

Then Ronno dropped by to say that they would meet again one day. But that was the last he ever saw of Ronno.

His thoughts were interrupted by a rustling sound in the bushes.

He curiously turned his head toward the bushes.

Then, Ronno jumped out!


	5. Chapter 5

Ronno was in search of Faline. Bambi had to fight him.

Bambi was intimidated. Ronno was much bigger and more muscular than he was the last time he saw him.

He walked toward him with his antlers facing forward.

It meant 'back off' in deer language.

He did it again.

Bambi ran off. He wasn't going to let him kill him!

Ronno left him alone, but Bambi didn't stop running.

Bambi ran and ran, as fast and as far as he could, until he got stuck in some bramble bushes!

He struggled to get out, only tangling himself more.

"Will someone help me?" he cried.

A squirrel ran by.

"Hey, little fella! Can you help me out here?"

The squirrel shook his head, then ran off.

"Won't anyone help me?" he said in despair.


	6. Chapter 6

Bambi continued struggling to free himself of the brambles, only getting more stuck.

Realizing there was no use in trying, and that he was possibly making things worse, he gave up and sighed.

He was certain that he was going to starve to death.

Then, a woodpecker came!

Bambi lifted his head up.

"I see your tangled up at the moment," said the woodpecker.

"I am. Do you think you can help me?" said Bambi.

"I'll give it a shot," said the woodpecker.

He flew onto one of the brambles and started pecking at it.

"Nope!" he said, then flew away.


	7. Chapter 7

Faline couldn't fall asleep. Instead, she had a flashback to her father's death.

It was a cold day, like most winter days are.

Faline was following her father until they came across a frozen pond.

Cautiously, Faline's father sniffed the ice.

Then he gestured to Faline that it was safe to cross.

She began to follow him but stopped dead in her tracks when he fell through!

It was thin ice after all!

"Father!" said Faline.

He struggled to get out, but alas, he could do nothing to save himself.

Faline watched helplessly.

She couldn't bear to watch, so she ran back the way she came.

"Faline, where's your father?" Faline's mother asked her when she got back.

Faline simply bowed her head and closed her eyes.

"Oh, my poor husband," said Faline's mother. "I knew there was something off about that lake. I should have warned him. This is all my fault."


	8. Chapter 8

Bambi had another flashback to earlier that year.

He and Faline weren't the only animals that had changed.

His father was becoming less distant, less serious, less quiet, and more... well, like a father.

Bambi remembered the time he spent with his father those days.

He even got his father to say "Woo-hoo!", something he had told Bambi not to do earlier.

He wondered if he would ever see his father again.

Then again, he wasn't sure if he wanted to.

He would probably yell at Bambi for getting lost and getting himself stuck in a bramblebush.

He did miss Faline, Thumper, Flower, and Friend Owl, though.

What did he do to deserve this?


	9. Chapter 9

It was dusk and Bambi was cold, hungry, and tired.

He was sure he was going to starve to death.

He closed his eyes in regret.

When he first started to grow his antlers, he was so happy. Now he realized there was a downside to having antlers.

He still remembered the day he got his antler studs.

He bumped into a tree branch and they got caught in it as he walked over to Faline. Friend Owl remarked that he could see Bambi's antlers were finally coming in. Bambi proudly joked that he hadn't noticed. Thumper's sisters laughed as Bambi joined his friends.

Faline told him that Thumper had been telling them quite a story. Friend Owl mentioned thousands of dogs. Typical Thumper.

Faline unexpectedly closed in on Bambi, then he got pricked by a porcupine resulting in an accidental kiss.

Bambi felt embarrassed that he kissed his love in front of all his friends.

Well he didn't really care that Flower, who didn't even know what love was, had seen it.


	10. Chapter 10

Although he would never admit it, Bambi's father did miss him. He was mourning him ever since he failed to return. He may have not been very close with his son, but he was still his son.

He sighed and started to remember his mate. He knew he would lose her eventually, but never did it occur to him that he would lose the only son he had. He even felt sorry for Faline, who had waited so long for nothing.

It seemed that almost every animal in the forest was suffering from insomnia. The stag stood up. He walked over to the pond and began to take a long drink.


	11. Chapter 11

Thumper couldn't believe the deer he had been best friends with since childhood was gone. He had been so proud of him when he took his first steps, said his first word, and made a new friend. He watched Bambi grow up, and now he would never see him again.

He remembered how he had taught Bambi to be brave, how to jump far, and how to fight back when being picked on.

Why did he have to die so young? It wasn't natural. Sure, his mother died young, but Thumper didn't care that much for his mother, and was mainly sad because he felt sorry for the little fawn.

Thumper sighed. He couldn't fall asleep. It wasn't because he had blossoms for dinner, but because the loss gave him a hollow feeling inside. His belly was full but his heart was empty.


	12. Chapter 12

Bambi began to feel lightheaded.

He wondered if the feeling was caused by something he ate. He hadn't gone without eating anything long enough for it to be starvation.

At this point he hoped he would die soon. Dying sounded more fun than spending the rest of his life stuck in a bramble bush. No food, no water, no friends, and nothing to do.

But he knew it would take more than a day.

His eyelids closed halfway.


	13. Chapter 13

Bambi heard footsteps. It sounded like those of another deer.

It turned out to be Ronno.

Seeing that Bambi was helpless, Ronno ignored him and continued to search for Faline.

This was too much for Bambi. He struggled to break free, but didn't prevail.

He sighed. It looked like he was going to have to let Ronno go. He could have Faline.

He would probably dominate her and be a terrible mate, but what could Bambi do?


	14. Chapter 14

Ronno went out into the open and was shot with a tranquilizer gun. He ran off in pain. He stared curiously at the dart, then tried to pull it out, but couldn't reach.

He wanted to ask someone for help but he was a mute deer.

He still remembered the day he damaged his larynx.

He was taking a stroll in the forest when all of a sudden, he fell in a trapping pit. He was stabbed in the neck with a sharpened stick pointed upwards from the bottom of the pit. He almost bled to death but soon his mother found him, rescued him, and healed him.

He never spoke again.


	15. Chapter 15

Then it dawned on Bambi. The stag he had fought with for Faline earlier was Ronno. Deep down inside he knew along, that it was him. But he considered the cowardly fawn who was nothing more than a harmless bully and the mute, muscular stag to be two different deer.

Only when he saw him as an adult for the second time did he recognize him.

Ronno was the only deer whose personality had really changed. Faline still found Bambi endearing like she did when she first met him, his dad was still quiet and reserved, and Bambi himself was still shy and not very talkative.

It also seemed deer were the only animals capable of changing.

Sure, Ronno was the only deer who acted different than he did as a fawn, but all of the deer changed in the winter.

Thumper was still the same old hyper, goofy rabbit he was when he was a bunny and Flower was still the bashful skunk he always was.

Deer, on the other hand, had a phase where their personality would change in the winter, then they would revert back to their old personalities in late spring.

They didn't even seem to remember having ever changed. Or perhaps they did and just never talked about. He could see why The Great Prince would want to pretend it never happened— it would ruin his image forever.


	16. Chapter 16

But no matter how hard Bambi tried to push them away, his mind kept returning to the doe who had found him endearing since childhood, the father who had helped him grow into a young buck, the rabbit who had taught him how to talk, how to be brave, and how to make a far leap, the skunk who adored him, or the grumpy owl who really had a caring heart.

His own heart sunk.

How did he even get himself into this mess?

He was looking for Faline, not for a bramble bush.

He had never felt more lonely in his life.


	17. Chapter 17

Bambi's father closed his eyes and had a flashback to his childhood. He looked just like Bambi, but with darker eyes.

He was far more talkative than he was now, and had a good sense of humor.

He loved to chase butterflies and catch snowflakes on his tongue.

And he wasn't perfect at everything. He had to keep trying until he mastered the skill.

Like all fawns, he couldn't leap over a canyon, jump over a log, or climb a steep hill.

He couldn't even run with the bucks in spring, and he knew it wasn't because he didn't have antlers yet.

He never thought he would have a son. He just wanted to live a happy life with his mate.

But then Bambi was born.

He didn't show up for his birth.

But he did watch from the great rock.

It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

He never thought The Young Prince would turn out to be like his younger self.

Which is why he was even more surprised that he died.

The Great Prince never died— why should Bambi?


	18. Chapter 18

"Daddy, why hasn't Bambi shown up yet?" asked one of Flower's children.

"Yeah, where's Bambi?" asked one his daughters.

"I don't know, kids. I just don't know," he lied.

Like everyone else, he was certain that Bambi was dead.

"When is he coming back?" asked his son.

"Uh... oh, look at the time! Off to bed. All of you," said Flower.


	19. Chapter 19

Bambi was growing more and more lightheaded.

He struggled to stay awake.

He could feel his body going numb.

But he wasn't going to give in.

He tried to keep his eyes open, but it was getting difficult.

Finally, he fell asleep.


	20. Chapter 20

Once Bambi was down, a group of humans came to study him. They cut him free. Then they blindfolded him. Then Bambi was weighed, measured, and tagged for field identification. A tracking chip was inserted under his skin for further research.

They were going to work for a few minutes.

It was a big project and Bambi wasn't the only deer they were going to research.

Then they measured his antlers.

Finally, they lifted him and placed him in the back of their truck so he could be relocated.


	21. Chapter 21

Soon, Bambi was returned to Faline. The people lifted the young buck and carried him to the spot where his mate was sleeping.

They quietly left and got back in the truck.

They drove off.

It was going to be a while before the two deer woke up.


	22. Chapter 22

Faline's eyes fluttered open.

Her eyes widened when she noticed Bambi sleeping next to her.

"Bambi!" she said with a smile.

She nuzzled his head then got up.

She couldn't wait to tell everyone!


	23. Chapter 23

"Hey, everyone! Bambi's alive! And he's here!" shouted Faline happily.

All the animals ran over to him and gathered around the sleeping prince.

Thumper smiled. He looked so cute when he was asleep.

"He's alive! He's alive! The Young Prince is alive!" yelled the more obnoxious of Flower's sons.

Faline hushed him.

"Let him sleep. He's had a long day," she said.

All the animals who had come to see Bambi left.


End file.
